Nurungukal....contd....

     Some persons will never fade away from your memory. Ramesh was one such for me. It was a busy day in the warehouse. I was just preparing to go to my assigned godown when my sight fell on a young man climbing the steps. He was hesitant and moved towards me and wanted to know where he should report. He spoke English in a typical north Malabar slang and I could easily make out from where he hailed. He walked with a slight jerk and a bend to the right. Looked smart in his white full sleeves shirt, neatly tucked in the black pants. I was always fascinated by a crisp attire. I showed him the way to the office and left him to take care of himself. After a few minutes when I returned, he was  in our room preparing the joining report. When he attempted to resume the conversation with me, again in the distorted slang  I put him at ease by revealing my mother tongue. A sign of relief prevailed on his face. He had just passed out from Guruvayurappan College with a degree in science. It was his first job. A native of Dharmadam , near to Tellichery. Our routine tea was served at eleven. By that time he had completed the initial formalities of joining the post.  It was time for me to accompany the in charge of the warehouse Mr. Rajaram on his daily inspection of the activities in the various points. He told me about the new hand and to provide him with the initial orientation about our functioning.

                 Usually any new comer was taken to the laboratory to have acquaintance with various scientific aspects of warehousing. Mr. Decruze was in charge of the lab. He was a bundle of energy although puny in stature. I had accompanied him on many Sundays to Guindy race course. Horse race was his craze. He knew every thing about horses and jockeys. I do not know whether he had won any race or not.  If you can resist spending money on betting, I felt glorious to enjoy a day with jockeys, bookies, immaculately dressed gentlemen and good looking ladies , sipping a cool drink or licking an ice cream. For a few hours you would feel as if you were in a Royal turf. But the bad side of it is the misery of the families when the bread earner loose chunk of his income on betting again and again. The tendency is like a fall in a whirlpool from which no one can escape. It will only take you into the fathoms. Many years after when I met him he was still fondling the Guindy feelings.

           My relationship with Ramesh became more and more intimate. Till my marriage we shared a room in Nadar’Garden. A simple man without a passion to climb up the ladder . I learnt that he had lost his mother when he was a kid and his father was everything for him there after. He used to say that his father was like a playmate enjoying in each others pranks. We had spent many an evening in the dark cool corner of some joints in Madras sipping pitchers of beer. He was very talkative when the drink took the reigns. In such moments we used to invariably touch on the tender, nostalgic days of our childhood. He could not recollect much about his mother. It was his father who prevailed in him like a companion. Even after my marriage we continued to meet . When ever I touched upon his marriage he would evade it by changing the subject. But I could make out that there was a love affair in his life which he failed to culminate into nuptial. Perhaps he was nurturing its tender feelings, deep in his heart to derive a secret pleasure. Years later, after my retirement when I met him in Calicut he looked haggard. Then he told me about the unexpected demise of his father and the void it had thrust upon him. He had already become an addict to alcohol. The agony that he contained in him was visible in his un kept hair, beard, not to speak of the dress. He looked much older and emaciated. I could not bear the sight. But  not even for once he touched on his plight and left me after a few minutes of sharing old thoughts. This time his company did not trigger any feelings, but left me perplexed. I never thought that it would have been our last meeting..contd.... 

Nurungukal....contd...

     When I think of my days in central warehousing corporation,the first name that come to my mind is that of Mr. P.M.Thomas. He was the adviser to Govt. of India on matters related to warehousing. I had attended many of his talks on this subject with a passion. He had an exceptional ability to enthuse your curiosity and involvement. His jokes kept you alive in the class room. It was he who told us ‘preserve or perish’ and ‘ a grain saved is a grain produced’.His remark on rats is relevant even now. “rat is a rat,whether east or west, take no rest, until you put him to eternal rest ". And much more about the devastating damages and loss caused by rats and small insects. When he explained the life cycle of a moth we can visualise even a hibernating pupae. His texts and circulars are even now considered as basic documents on warehousing,like a BIBLE. Although not of similar calibre there were a few other stalwarts in  CWC who played crucial roles like         M/sChibber[commercial],Mehtha[accounts],Mithra[personnel] etc etc. I would say that it was the joint effort of these and many juniors which was responsible for establishing a viable net work of warehouses throughout the length and breadth of our country.

       Warehouses are considered as an important link in the chain of marketing and post harvest management of agricultural produces. In the absence of scientific storage facility, the yearly loss of food grain was more than 30%. After the advent of wide spread modern warehouses it was reduced to less than 10% and we can imagine the quantity of grain saved. There are many more functions and objectives in the warehousing activity. {1} create a negotiable instrument so that farmers can avoid distress sale as they can avail short term loans against ware house receipt a  reliable document. {2}  Grading ensures an orderly marketing {3} insurance ,etc and of course a warehouse meets the time and space demand of a good marketing  strategy as the goods can be made available at the right time, in right quantity and at the right place.

             The warehousing concept was introduced as a three tire programme. Rural godowns were to be set up by local co-operative societies, State warehouses at state level markets and central warehouse to take care of markets serving a wider area. Initially there were only general warehouses, taking care of the need of traders and a very few farmers. But as our economy grew and need for a public distribution system became inevitable bigger ventures were envisaged. When the export and import activity gained momentum it was time to setup custom bonded warehouses, container depots etc to cater the needs of foreign trades. Now it has grown from seven to say several centres working day in and day out, thanks to its dedicated staff and management. I heard that recently CWC staff are benefited by a pension scheme, for which we were fighting but in vain. I hope that those who are in service now will at least remember that they are enjoying the fruits of  the toil of their fore runners and continue the journey to serve the nation relentlessly......contd....

  

Nurungukal....contd...

     The no. One mail, one of the most prestigious trains of southern railway reached Madras central in time and as usual the COPS [chief operating superintendent] was at the station to offer a cup of tea to the driver. This was a practise followed by Mr. Madhava Menon as a mark of expressing his appreciation to the driver for maintaining punctuality. Something which can be worth emulated by the present day managers. After luxuriating in a cold bath at Nadar’s Garden I headed for Chetpet railway station to catch an electric train to Chromepet. It was the nearest station to Chitalapakkam where my warehouse was.

      It was one of the four biggest warehouses in south India at that time, having a capacity of 50,000 metric tones. Other three were in Tanjore,Mannargudi and Trichy. They were built under a crash programme envisaged by Mr. Subramanyan, the then food minister to accommodate ship loads of wheat received from America as per their PL 480 [public law] and also the indigenous wheat and rice procured from different parts of India. Later on this facility was utilised to accommodate BULGAR WHEAT and CSM [ a blended maize product, both received on a programme known as CARE [Co.op American Relief for Every where]. Both these products were intended for supply to school as nutrient supplement.

      As I reached the ware house, there were rows of lorries carrying CARE products and wheat from Madras harbour waiting at the gate. A sight which  always pleases a warehouse man as it would boost the occupancy and performance of the centre.

     My colleagues were anxious to know what has transpired yesterday at Calicut. They wanted to know every details of the interview with the girl, especially about our conversation and reactions. Women were eager about her attire, ornaments , hair style and of course whether she was fair or dark etc. Men indulged in asking naughty questions and to satisfy them I exaggerated  some details. Every body liked her name,Nandini and more so her pet name Baby. One or two enquired why so. Although I was unable to provide an explanation at that time, later after our marriage , I presumed after seeing her photos that it might have been, because of her curly hair and dimple chin as a babe. More over she was the youngest girl in the family.They gave her full marks and every one was happy with the decision I had taken. The cross examination went on for some more time and slowly one by one returned to look after their assigned responsibilities leaving me in solitude....contd...

Nurungukal....contd...

        I would say that I enjoyed the life at Tatabhad lodge the most as a bachelor. The inmates hailed from almost all the districts of Kerala and had varied cultural backgrounds. The slang in which we spoke was typical of each locality. For e.g. Balakrishnan the TTE about whom I had mentioned in my last post spoke exactly like Biju Menon in the movie Ordinary[Palaghat style]. Once in a  way we enjoyed a hot session and went on picnics en mass. The life was in perfect harmony. One or two even managed to develop ardent love affairs in the neighbourhood. And in one case we had to extricate one of our friends from such a case with great difficulty. We had a common kitchen. The accounts were managed meticulously by Rajan and Namboodiri of LIC, both hailing from Tirur. But our eye sore was the cooks. We tried several, but none came up to our requirements. If one was too old and shabby the other failed to provide tasty food, yet another connived with our grocery merchant to earn a few extra income.  But some how we managed to keep the ball rolling, despite serious complaints. Yet it was the best and nostalgic part of my bachelor life for which I should be thankful to Vasu ettan, my cousin-in-law. In Madras it was a different experience.

            Actually it was popularly known as Nadar’s Garden and not as a lodge. It was an asylum to bachelor Malayalees in Madras. Its location was ideal, connected closely with rail and roads with facilities at arms reach. There was a canteen run by a set of cooks, providing tasty cuisine at reasonable rates and the rent was affordable to our meagre budget.

       I do not know the history of that house. It belonged to a rich Nadar family. They would have been using it to carry out their business in Madras. It was like an old bungalow. The facilities were such. The compound was full of big trees and provided a salubrious ambiance. It was cool and pleasant. There was abundant supply of water and we enjoyed it both morning and evening to drive away the drudgery of a days hard work. This was an exclusive facility in Madras for a Malayalee, who can not think of a life without two or even three baths in such hot weather.

        The break fast used to be very sumptuous. Puttu with plantain, pappadam, bulls eye etc. were the favourite of all. On holidays special menu with one or two non veg dishes satisfied even strict gourmets.There were a few inmates who had made this accommodation as their home in Madras. Their long standing association had given them some extra facilities viz. single room with fan , mirror,bath room etc. I had to share one with my colleagues, Thomas, Ramesh, Surendran etc. But as in Tatabhad, Nadar’s Garden did not offer any collective activity. Here we lived as individuals and used it as our dwelling only..contd.....

Nurungukal.......contd...

         Yesterday was a crucial day in my life. I met the girl with whom I am going to spent the rest of the life. I entrusted mother and brothers to proceed further and of course with the concurrence of my sister and brother-in-law. I took the first bus to Vepery on arrival at Madras Central railway station. It was cool and pleasant out side.

        At that time I was staying in Nadar’s Lodge in Vepery on Poonamally high road. When I joined Central Warehousing Corporation, for a few days I was staying in a small room provided by my friend Rajappan, an upcoming  painting contractor, in one of his godowns. My income was not adequate to hire a better place. He was known to me for the last many years ever since as a painter in Coinbatore and I was in Railways then. He was a regular visitor to our lodge in Tatabhad on every weekend to play rummy. Usually we began our session from Saturday evening and continued till late Sunday night. It was a typical accommodation with a veranda, hall [what they used to call], a kitchen and a bathroom one behind the other. These were connected by a side way. This alignment was popular for all such rented buildings.Families with even grown up children lived in such buildings compromising their privacy.There were four set of such rooms in a row. We bachelors occupied three sets and the last one by a family consisting of four members, a couple and two small cute kids. All of us addressed the lady as chechy. She was very helpful, especially when any of us fell ill, in providing tasty porridge and uppumanga. And when ever the water supply to our lodge failed we used to fetch water from a distant tap and provided her as a return gesture. We were in perfect harmony. Most of our inmates were working in LIC, Raiways, TNEB etc. There was one Mr. Nair who was a driver in Tamil Nadu Transport Corporation. He was suspended when his bus met with an accident. He was en route to a high range destination when the bus tilted and fell into a ravine. Fortunately it got stuck on a tree and escaped from human loss. He used to explain the sequence of the incident and the way he was holding a match stick in his hand ready to ignite the whole bus and immolate himself till the last passenger escaped safely. He was extricated but had to face an enquiry and punishment later. Mr. Menon from Palghat was an assistant in FCI. Both his feet were affected with corns and he made each step cautiously like a chicken in slow motion. Some of the naughty guys used to make fun of him by hiding his foot wear just when he was about to leave for duty. He was a chain smoker of Sadhu beedi and when ever joined us for a rummy session all of us took a puff or two, which he shared joyfully. We can not forget our room mate and colleague Mr. Balakrishnan who was seven footer!!. He was so tall and hefty. My self and my friend Vinoben used to slip into his pants together  and walk around the lodge by putting our feet in his shoes. Although he was so big he never made any attempt to resist us, on the contrary enjoyed the jokes with a loud laughter. Much later in my life,I met him at Olavakkot station as TTE and we shared some of the funny moments of our stay in Tatabhad lodge.....contd...

Nurungukal...contd...

                As I descended the steps of Anoth Hall a set of faces appeared on both sides of the walls. On my left there were some girls inquisitively glancing at me and their giggles made me shy. On the right a few boys were enjoying in their pranks. But  my mind was fully engaged otherwise,hence could not respond to their gestures. On the way to the station we took stock of the situation and decided to proceed further. On reaching Madras I informed mother about the details and requested her to go ahead. She was pleased very much.

             In the train I rewound the events of the day several time , just to derive a pleasure of a cud. The sleep was evading me each time I tried. I remembered the famous simile about Dhushiand after meeting Shakunthala in the hermitage. Although his body was moving forward, his mind was speeding back like the fluttering of a flag carried against a wind. The poet was at his best when he visualised the situation. In the train carrying me to Madras, I was also in a similar state of mind.....

Nurungukal...contd...

      When we reached Anoth Hall in a vehicle provided by the milk society, there were already one or two cars. I do not remember their make, but one was definitely a FIAT. There was no trace of KLD 4400 there. But the old driver was standing near the shed like a squirrel which had slipped the mango from the hand. He gave me a smile which was more like a blessing. We climbed the steps and entered the compound. On our left a small white dog with satin white fur was announcing our intrusion at the top of its voice and going round and round in its shelter. It was a beautiful animal receiving the loving attention of its master. We had one in Ponani which had no pedigree to claim, when I was a boy. It was black in colour and very ferocious. But one day it disappeared and never came back. Near to the dog room there was an empty cow shed. A tall coconut tree stood towering in the middle and on the other side a mango tree with wide canopy.

      Two gentle men lead us to a side room, which I think was an addition made for a definite purpose. There were one or two glassed wooden shelves in which old law journals were stacked neatly. As usual the books were leather bound and etched with golden letters. They seemed to be remaining in the chests for the last many years, may be since the lawyer uncle withdrew from practising. My attention was drawn to a pair of ivory tusks, skins of ferocious tiger and leopard,a mountain squirrel and a big skull of a dear with its long and branched horns. All these denoted the legacy of the family. In olden days those were supposed to be the trophies claimed by hunters as their marks of adventures.

   Only men were present in the room. We were mutually introduced. My brother asked about her eldest brother as he was not in the crowd. He had left for a sojourn with his wife and I presumed that would have been the reason for the absence of KLD 4400!!. A tall and fair gentle man, introduced as an ex. civilian officer was keeping me engaged on service matters.  Her brothers-in –law comparatively spoke less. One of her brothers was moving around restlessly and I could guess the reason. The tea and snacks came. We almost finished them, yet there was no sign of the girl. My brother who was by nature impatient on such issues pressed diligently to usher the interview. The room was cut off from any sign of the activities going out side. I went to the extend of thinking that perhaps that was their way for saying no. The cloud was cleared when the brother announced that the girl is ready for audience. We were lead to another room. Her eldest brother-in-law accompanied us.

   I was slowly unfolding my mind to manage the event. The room was another place of revealing their proud background. On the walls there were the paintings of a gracious lady, and two gentle men . We were told who they were and also whose work it was. In one corner an office table untouched for years remained as a souvenir of the person who was using it.

      Then slowly they moved into the room like a flock of hesitant birds and positioned behind a table. I was sitting on a canopied coach which was a solid piece of art.  She was diligently dressed, so was her mother and sister. She was sandwiched between them and it looked as if a morning dew was resting delicately on two petals of rose.My mental preparations were of no use but the silence was vociferous. Our eyes spoke and then the future flowed into our life unknowingly offering many moments of ecstasies.......contd